SE instructor uses skills to aid NASA in shuttle recovery
by Diana De Leon

   To help NASA locate and map debris of the space shuttle Columbia, SE Campus instructor David Allen trudged through some of the most unyielding terrain in Texas.
   In freezing cold and rainy weather, Allen traveled through briar patches and heavy brush in a predetermined area where going around obstacles was not an option.
   “We all knew what happened,” he said, “It would overwhelm you sometimes, but we had a job to do.”
   Through several different professional organizations, Allen knew that NASA needed his specialty in their search.
   Allen is a geographic information systems (GIS) manager for the City of Euless and has been an instructor in the GIS program on SE Campus for more than three years.
   The city of Euless loaned Allen and its $9,000 global positioning system (GPS) to the effort.
   GIS combines layers of information of any kind that is needed. NASA needed latitude and longitude of debris and their relation to every other piece found.
   GIS can link different data together by spatial location and has many applications in everyday life.
   NASA would take all information from the GPS and link it to all the information from other data about the space shuttle.
   Then NASA used the data to determine where more debris could be found.
   NASA would download the information out of the GPS and then erase it from the machine.
   “They could tell us what part of the shuttle a particular piece was from,” Allen said. “NASA would then give us a list of things that had not been found yet.”
   One of the main advantages of GIS is the management of resources and its ability to help one analyze and map data.
   A reverse animation of how the shuttle broke apart was made possible by the GIS data linked together.
   Priority one for NASA was the recovery of the astronauts, but volunteer safety was an issue because of the hazardous materials used on the shuttle.
   Allen said he had many reasons to be there and believes everyone would have been there if they could.
   NASA went to great lengths to ensure the safety of the volunteers, including providing pictures of hazardous materials.
   Allen explained that explosive bolts and other materials could cause injury to the volunteers if handled.
   “Apparently there were a lot of explosive bolts on the shuttle,” he said. “They were so common we hardly made one sweep without finding them.”
   Volunteers were spaced out on a route determined by NASA, and the whole line would stop when debris was found.
   A NASA official would then come and actually remove the debris from the spot.
   “If you did not know what it was, you did not go near it,” Allen said. “They scared us pretty good with those pictures.”
   Volunteers included law enforcement, professional, specialized people such as Allen and mounted patrols.
   These volunteers covered a square mile of terrain a day and found debris in all sizes and shapes.
   Many different professionals and organizations put people and equipment into service for the recovery effort.
   The Red Cross set up a headquarters in Nacogdoches to feed and house the volunteers.
    Allen who teaches five out of six GIS-related classes evenings on SE Campus had no classes that semester.
   TCC offers an associate degree in geographic information systems and a certificate of completion.
   For the City of Euless, Allen keeps maps and inventories of water and sewer lines, subdivided land, plots and even fire hydrants.
   The fire department uses these hydrant locations to aid in the training of new personnel.
   “People don’t realize that GIS has applications in a lot of everyday life,” he said. “NASA is not the only one who uses it.”
   Victor Gutzler, a student who graduates this semester from the TCC program, said he is amazed by the good fortune the GIS program has given him.
   He describes Allen as a teacher who brings much real world knowledge into the classroom.
   “I never thought I would make money drawing maps,” he said. “GIS is a sought-after skill.”
   Allen explained that conditions in the shuttle search area are not common for GIS professionals.
   He suffered numerous cuts, bruises and scrapes while walking his set route to find debris.
   “There were briars so big that people cut them just to show others how big they were,” he said.
   In his classes at TCC, Allen often sends students outside to fix locations of various things around campus.
   Allen is reaping the rewards from the TCC GIS program because his students are starting to get jobs in the field.
   “We are such a new program, only now are we seeing the results,” he said. “Students are working in the industry. That’s the best.”
   Classes start with an introduction to geographic systems, which covers the basics of maps and ArcGIS software, which is associated with the course.
   Students then cover cartography, advanced special topics GIS and introduction to database.
   “It is hard. It is a very technical field,” Allen said. “It can get difficult.”
   Gutzler explained that Allen is an organized teacher who uses plenty of examples and gives great lectures.
   Raster-based GIS uses satellite images and remote-sensed data. This means that one is not actually standing near what one is looking at. Instead, a plane, radar or satellite is sending data.
   Gutzler works for the city of Fort Worth as an engineering tech II in the water department.
   “I took the TCC GIS class for fun, and I ended up switching fields,” he said. “It totally changed my life.”
   Allen said locating debris for NASA was something he was happy to do and the work was what got him through the process.
   Allen said not every piece of the shuttle was found, but hunting season may produce more debris.
   Although TCC’s GIS program is geared for the municipal world, Allen said he was happy to share his knowledge with NASA.
   “I could make a difference and help out,” he said. “I am glad I fit the bill of what they needed.”